Method for creating a workflow

Abstract

A method for creating a workflow including at least one structured process with interdependent tasks, and a composite object involved in the process is provided. The method includes defining a model of the object, describing the composite object as an aggregate of constituent elements, wherein each element is an instance of an element type; creating a general workflow by modelling the process as a structured graph comprising tasks with an associated element type, connected according to their dependencies; and associating tasks with elements according to their type to create a specific workflow. The method comprises rearranging the tasks on the basis of the associated element type to increase the number of parallel task-element combinations in the specific workflow. A programmable processing device comprises a mechanism for automatically generating a workflow and a mechanism for operation by one or more users. The device uses the above-described method. A computer program product can be run on a computer to execute the method and automatically create a workflow.

1. A computer implemented method for creating a workflow including at least one structured process with interdependent tasks, and a composite object involved in the at least one structured process, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
 defining a model of the composite object, the model describing the composite object as an aggregate of constituent elements, wherein each of the constituent elements is an instance of an element type; 
 creating a general workflow by modelling the at least one structured process as a structured graph, comprising task nodes with an associated element type and connected according to their dependencies without any state nodes inbetween; 
 associating the tasks with the constituent elements according to the type of the elements to create a specific workflow, the associating step including rearranging the specific workflow based on the model of the composite object by rearranging the tasks on the basis of the associated element type for creating parallel task-element combinations in the specific workflow; and 
 moving connections between two sequential tasks with associated elements, which operate on elements that are not identical and have no encompassing or constituent elements in common. 
 
   
   
     2. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 checking a suitability of the general workflow for further use in the method. 
 
   
   
     3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein, in the checking step, the suitability of the general workflow is checked by checking that branching paths in the general workflow split and join at tasks with the same associated element type. 
   
   
     4. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein, in the checking step, the suitability of the general workflow is checked further by checking that element types associated with tasks in the branching paths are not higher in a type hierarchy than the element types associated with the tasks where the branching paths split and join. 
   
   
     5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of defining the model of the composite object comprises creating a directed acyclical graph in which each of the constituent elements is assigned a position depending on its type and a relation to the other element types. 
   
   
     6. The method according  claim 1 , wherein the step of rearranging the general workflow includes moving connections between two sequential tasks which can be carried out in parallel in view of their associated element type, so that the sequential tasks can be carried out in parallel. 
   
   
     7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the step of associating comprises making a copy of a task with an associated element type in the general workflow for each element of the appropriate type. 
   
   
     8. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the general workflow and the specific workflow is modelled as a Petri-Net including places, transitions, and directed connections between the places and transitions. 
   
   
     9. The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the tasks are represented as places. 
   
   
     10. A programmable processing device for creating a workflow including at least one structured process with interdependent tasks, and a composite object involved in the at least one structured process, wherein the programmable processing device comprises:
 means for defining a model of the composite object, the model describing the composite object as an aggregate of constituent elements, wherein each of the constituent elements is an instance of an element type; 
 means for creating a general workflow by modelling the at least one structured process as a structured graph, comprising task nodes with an associated element type and connected according to their dependencies without any state nodes inbetween; 
 means for associating the tasks with the constituent elements according to the type of the elements to create a specific workflow, by rearranging the specific workflow based on the model of the composite object by rearranging the tasks on the basis of the associated element type for creating parallel task-element combinations in the specific workflow; and 
 means for moving connections between two sequential tasks with associated elements, which operate on elements that are not identical and have no encompassing or constituent elements in common. 
 
   
   
     11. The programmable processing device according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 means for checking a suitability of the general workflow for further use. 
 
   
   
     12. The programmable processing device according to  claim 11 , wherein the means for checking the suitability of the general workflow checks that branching paths in the general workflow split and join at tasks with the same associated element type, and that element types associated with tasks in the branching paths are not higher in a type hierarchy than the element types associated with the tasks where the branching paths split and join. 
   
   
     13. The programmable processing device according to  claim 10 , wherein the means for defining the model of the composite object comprises means for creating a directed acyclical graph in which each of the constituent elements is assigned a position depending on its type and a relation to the other element types. 
   
   
     14. The programmable processing device according to  claim 10 , wherein the means for associating includes means for moving connections between two sequential tasks which can be carried out in parallel in view of their associated element type, so that the sequential tasks can be carried out in parallel. 
   
   
     15. The programmable processing device according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the general workflow and the specific workflow is modelled as a Petri-Net including places, transitions, and directed connections between the places and transitions. 
   
   
     16. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium, for creating a workflow including at least one structured process with interdependent tasks, and a composite object involved in the at least one structured process, wherein the computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions for:
 defining a model of the composite object, the model describing the composite object as an aggregate of constituent elements, wherein each of the constituent elements is an instance of an element type; 
 creating a general workflow by modelling the at least one structured process as a structured graph, comprising task nodes with an associated element type and connected according to their dependencies without any state nodes inbetween; 
 associating the tasks with the constituent elements according to the type of the elements to create a specific workflow, by rearranging the specific workflow based on the model of the composite object by rearranging the tasks on the basis of the associated element type for creating parallel task-element combinations in the specific workflow; and 
 moving connections between two sequential tasks with associated elements, which operate on elements that are not identical and have no encompassing or constituent elements in common. 
 
   
   
     17. The computer program product according to  claim 16 , further comprising computer-executable instructions for:
 checking a suitability of the general workflow for further use. 
 
   
   
     18. The computer program product according to  claim 17 , wherein the suitability of the general workflow is checked by checking that branching paths in the general workflow split and join at tasks with the same associated element type, and that element types associated with tasks in the branching paths are not higher in a type hierarchy than the element types associated with the tasks where the branching paths split and join. 
   
   
     19. The computer program product according to  claim 16 , wherein the computer-executable instructions for defining the model of the composite object comprise computer-executable instructions for creating a directed acyclical graph in which each of the constituent elements is assigned a position depending on its type and a relation to the other element types. 
   
   
     20. The computer program product according to  claim 16 , wherein the computer-executable instructions for rearranging the general workflow include computer-executable instructions for moving connections between two sequential tasks which can be carried out in parallel in view of their associated element type, so that the sequential tasks can be carried out in parallel. 
   
   
     21. The computer program product according to  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the general workflow and the specific workflow is modelled as a Petri-Net including places, transitions, and directed connections between the places and transitions. 
   
   
     22. A computer readable medium having thereon a computer program product for creating a workflow including at least one structured process with interdependent tasks, and a composite object involved in the at least one structured process, wherein the computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions for:
 defining a model of the composite object, the model describing the composite object as an aggregate of constituent elements, wherein each of the constituent elements is an instance of an element type; 
 creating a general workflow by modelling the at least one structured process as a structured graph, comprising task nodes with an associated element type and connected according to their dependencies without any state nodes inbetween; 
 associating the tasks with the constituent elements according to the type of the elements to create a specific workflow, by rearranging the specific workflow based on the model of the composite object by rearranging the tasks on the basis of the associated element type for creating parallel task-element combinations in the specific workflow; and 
 moving connections between two sequential tasks with associated elements, which operate on elements that are not identical and have no encompassing or constituent elements in common.